The Santa Ana Boxing Club is one of those miracle workers that take kids leaning like a cholo and turn them into upstanding men (and women) via the sweet science. But, like with most nonprofits (or anything associated with boxing, for that matter, it's in trouble right now (I won't use the cliché “against the ropes,” as apt as it is for this post) with the fundraising and the MMA and all that.
That's why it's great to hear that an anonymous donor is not only sponsoring seven teen boxers to fight this weekend at the adidas National Boxing Tournament in Oxnard, but will also sit ringside to cheer them on.
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The young pugilists, per longtime Boxing Club head Anthony Serrano:
Jose Perez 18 yrs old, attends Santa Ana College
Alexis Arce 15 yrs old, attends Valley High School
Martin Espinoza 17 yrs old, attends Rancho High School
Arturo Cristobal 14 yrs old, attends Nova Academy
Alberto Garcia 14 yrs old, attends Villa Internediate
Alex Martinez 13 yrs old, attends Warner Middle School
Uriel Villanueva 13 yrs old, attends Willard Intermediate
“This tournament draws people from all 50 states and is consider one of the most important tournament one can compete in [youth boxing],” Serrano writes via email. “We would like to thank our friends [who are sponsoring the trip], who remain anonymous per their request.”
Good luck, chavos! And anyone who wants to donate to the Santa Ana Boxing Club–or go work off their flab–can visit their website linked above.
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